The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-03-09


day in the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and the ser
mon is preached at the reception of three
hundred and forty seven new members, max
ing six hundred and ninety received during
the present revival so that the communicate
membership now Is four thousand and fifty
one The Rev T. Dewitt Talmage, ID. D.,
the pastor, gave the right hand Of fellowship
to tho new members, and baptized about
ninety The audience sang:
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts In Christian love
There was a great arch Of flowers over the
pulpit, containing the words: Il believe in
the communion Of saints DR.. Talrnage took
two texts: i Chronicles, xiii, 5: ~And
four thousand praised the Lord" and Exodus
xii, u: This day shall be unto you for
memorial" He said:
When week before last the communicate
membership OF this church passed into the
four thousand, now reaching four thousand
and fifty-one, the first part Of my text came
to rIy mind, and / bethought myself what
grand thing it would be if the four thousand
of our commandment membership would, like
the four thousand Of the ancient Temple,
make it their lifetime business TO praise the
Lord Let them all take harp and timbrel
and anthem and dOxol0gy!
The alusion of my second text is to the
Passover, which cofnnemorated the deliver
ance Of the children Of Israel on the night
when the destroying angel sped through tho
land OF Egypt, destroying the enemy but
saving the Israelitcs, because on the door
posts of their dwellings was sprinkled the
blood OF a lamb. To-day we come TO cele-
hrate a grander Passover. all peril going
away from our soul at the sight OF the
sprfnkled blood of the Lamb Of God on the
mfr. rfg QuF Passover
sacrificed for us 'This day shah be unto
you for a memorial"
The sacrnmental Sabbath, whether it comes
in an American church or an English chapel,
or "a Scotch kirk, is more impressive than any
other Sabbath It's light is holier, calIner,
sweeter. It's voices more tender, its touch IS
softer, its memories are more chastened The
fruits of the Christian life suddenly ripen like
orchards on the hill fronting the south. The
wine OF the holy sacrament seems pressed
from the grapes Of celestial vineyards, and
the bread broken seems to drop from the hand
Of him who parted the loaves for 5000 We
walk b. the church Of God with more thought
ful face and with quieter step. The jubliant
songs Of other Sundays are struck
through with pensiveness and are all a.
tremble with tears; and when ut the close
Of the service, at the door we shake hands, it
is with a more cordial grasp, because we feel
thrilling through our body and mind and
soui the great doctrines of Christian brother
hood: and our minds 20 back to our forefath-
ers celebrating the sacrament in times OF per-
secution in Scotland among the Highlands;
communicating tho dying love of Christ,
while they were pursued of their enemies,
mourning the wine into rough wooden cups,
dipping the waters of baptism from the
mountain rock, until one day they heard the
voices of their enemies coming up the
hill, and the pastor cried out: "Oh, Lord,
the Shepherd, have mercy on the sheep"
and instantly there was n roaring heard
as Of great floods, and sure enough q cloud
had burst and there were great torrents run
ming down the mountain side that whelmed
their foes with sudden wrath. What deliv-
ernuce it was for them ON that sacramental
dayl Oh, that on this sacramental day the
cloud of Gods mercy might burst and our
sins bo whelmed and our souls be savedl This
Is the amethyst of days. This is the pearl of
DAYS This Is the diamond OF days. This is
the day of days. Among the ten thousand
million ages of eternity the first Sabbath of
March, 1887, win be to you significant and
memorable, for "this day shall be unto you"
forever and forever "a memorial"
There is much in the scene of to-day to Inn
press us, because it is a time of REINFORCE
ment j used to remark that If / ever lived
to see our membership reach 1900 ] thought
] would be willing TO say with one Of old:
snow, Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart
in peace for mine eyes have seen thy saliva
tionn But l have changed my mind, and
never so much wanted TO stay now, so as
TO see them all enlisted for God and to watch
their victories. What might they not accom-
plish in tho way of making the world better
If they were all baptized with a double
portion of the Holy Ghostl Four thousandl
That is four full regiments, as military men
count a Thousand to a regiment think not
one hypocrite among them. Taken into the
church sometimes i'm large numbers, but each
one rs carefully examined as TO change of
heart, and evidence of regeneration as though
he or she were the only one presenting him
self or herself Many of our former members
have passed away into the skies and have
Joined the church triumphant, but we have
1000 and more left for the church militant.
To arms Quit you like menl We want no
reserve coT1,s among them. Go into action
all of YOU Some will be officers in COM
rnand: some will make cavalry charge; some
win I've sharpshooters some will stand guard /;
somo viii be on picket duty; many OF you
will belong to the rank and file. Let there
be no stragglers, none off on furlough, not
one deserter With Christ for commander in
chief, and the one starred, blood striped BAN
ner OF manager and cross to lead the way, l
give the order that the general in the war
gave, when rising in his stirrups, his hair
flying IN the wind, he cried ont till all the
host hoard him: Forward the whole liner
There is also something in srch a scene to
deeply impress one. because it rehearses q
death scene. Now, you know, there is some
thing very touching in such an incident
Though YOU arc in a hotel, and it is a stranger
that il dying how softly you move about the
place and if You come up TO his couch, it is
with uncovered bead. Even the voice of the
Jester Is stopped, and when the eyes of that
stranger are closed it is with emotion. But
am TO tell you this morning Of a death such
as has never before or since occurred When
we die, we die for ourselves and the crises i
allcviated by all benedccnt ministries Bath
ings for the hands, hathings for the head,
bathings for the feet the light turned down
low or set in just the right place; all the Off
ces of affection about us when we come to die
But not so with Jesus. He died not for him
self but he died in torment and he died for
others He might have moved around ir
gardens made by his own hand, an earthly
potentate amid vineyards and olive grove:
sloping TO the sea. Instead of being tossed
in the fishing boat on Tiberius he might
have chosen sunshiny day and pleasant
wave for the lake crossing. Instead of being
followed by an unwashed rabble he NIGH
have charmed sanhedrims and universities
with his eloquence. Instead of a cross and I
bunch OF twisted brambles on bis brow III
might have died in the castle of a Roman
merchant, the air bland with lilies and frank
incense. But no; he died in torture; the
good for the bad the kind for the cruel the
wise for the ignorant; the divine for the hui
man. Oh how tenderly we feel towards any
one who has done great kindness and per-
hnps at the iTnperiling of his own lifel How
we ought to feel towards Christ, the captain
of salvation, on the white horse riding down
our foes; but in the moment he made tho
victorious charge, the lances Of death struck
himf
There was very touching scene among an
Indian tribe in the last century. 1t seemed
that one of the chieftains had slain a man be-
longing TO an opposite tribe and that tribe
came up and said: 1--WE win exterminate you
unless you surrender the man who committed
that crime.n The chieftain who did the
crime stepped out from the ranks and said:
II am not afraid to die, but 4 have a wife
and four children, and have a father aged
and a mother aged, whom / support by
hunting, and l sorrow to leave them
helpless" just as he said that his
old father from behind stepped out
and said. aHe shall not die / take his
place. am old and well stricken in years.
can do no good might as wei die. My
days are almost over. He cannot be spared.
Take me" And they accepted the sacrifice.
Wonderful sacrificed you say, but not 50
wonderful as that found in the Gospel, for
we deserved to die, aye, we were sentenced
when Christ, not worn out with years but in
the flush Of bis youth. said: Save that man
from going down TO the pit; am the ran
SOM. Put his burdens on my shoulders Let
ms stripes fall on my back Take